The Ride of the Last Muse

In ancient Greece, there were 9 divine Muses, whose names are difficult to pronounce: Calliope, Clio, Erato, Euterpe, Melpomene, Polyhymnia, Terpsichore, Thalia, and Urania.

Each mission was to inspire people in a specific field of knowledge and the arts, revealing a beauty that could only come through the intervention of the “gods.”

Yet, after millennia, it seems the Muses are destined to gather dust on forgotten shelves in the back of a library, near a damp wall where they can no longer perform miracles.

We’ve become meta-humans, with lightning literally at our fingertips.

We no longer need the divine grace that the Muses once offered before composing a song, choreographing a dance, writing a book, or gazing at the stars.

Today, “sacred” algorithms open the gates of paradise, where nearly all our desires can be fulfilled.

But to me, one Muse remains alive, even though she is largely ignored.

She wanders the world, hungry, thirsty, limping, suffering, and disheveled.

Most dismiss her power and scoff at her divinity, shouting in her bloodied face: crucify her!

Ironically, this Muse has become a myth, almost platonically in our impoverished reality. She is banned in most homes, businesses, and schools.

In many ways, she causes discomfort, and for this reason, people avoid being seen uttering her name.

At the slightest hint that you believe in her power, people get mad at you.

Individuals have been imprisoned, exiled, excommunicated, tortured, and burned alive for defending this Muse.

There’s an endless trail of blood, sweat, and tears in her story.

Despite all this persecution, she’s the one who has changed our world.

Every time we face a dilemma, it’s her unexpected response that arrives.

Her strength is always felt most in the critical moments when we realize just how powerful she is. The irony is that the more miracles she performs, the less we believe.

Faith in her “divinity” has sadly become a source of shame for most.

Yet, those who still face life with the courage she demands often emerge with scars, yes, but also with countless stories to tell.

In a world of commoditization, everything seems to fit on an assembly line, conveniently paired with this or that sauce, in a flash sale on a Tuesday.

Food, entertainment, health, relationships, and now, knowledge itself.

With the advent of AIs, we’re all cheek-to-cheek with this digital goddess who promises to solve all our problems.

She paints, draws, writes, dances, reviews, and even pens poetry.

Spreadsheets? A piece of cake!

It’s as if the 9 Greek Muses have been dissected and digitally reproduced in an algorithm.

Just type a “prompt,” and voilà!

The eyes gleam as the coffee slides smoothly down the throat…

No, the Muse I’m talking about isn’t an AI.

And she’s not a character either. This Muse is your and my ability to ask questions, to challenge, to see things from new perspectives. The audacity to perceive life from its reverse.

And this is only possible with the power of a question.

People are terrified of asking questions. Their faces turn red, and their voices falter.

Meetings become barren deserts because there’s a fear of raising a hand and being shot down. Classrooms drag on… Families wither… Relationships wilt… Work teams turn into gladiators…

Psychological safety, the freedom to express oneself, looks beautiful on paper but remains a daunting challenge in our corporate culture.

Research is there to prove the state of mental health today: people inside and outside the corporate world are imploding, silently crying out for help in their desperate silence.

The most important questions right now are “How are you feeling?” and “How can I help you?”

Wherever there are people, there are emotions.

Smart questions come from balanced people.

Before starting any corporate innovation project or making changes in your personal life, seek professional help.

High-quality psychological safety for you and your team can make the difference between defeat and victory.

We need to evangelize the world, bringing the good news about how people who live and work together are crucial to one another.

Major companies have already realized this and are moving to change their cultures.

Read about Google’s Project Aristotle, Pixar’s BrainTrust, and many others.

There’s a lot of talk about psychological safety, but not enough about trust and relationships.

We dare to show our vulnerabilities when we trust others, and that trust is built through relationships, with daily questions that symbolize how much we care for each other.

It’s not enough to produce a cute corporate video and print a colorful handbook.

It starts with good intentions and involves a lot of dedication and genuine involvement with each other’s stories—care and dedication—that will inevitably form the story of the brand, the family, the school, of an entire country…

Why do questions matter?

Because they can make us imagine new and better questions.

What do you think? Share your thoughts in the comments. Let’s chat! :)